When Justine opened in the French Quarter, it was a breath of fresh air, bringing a beautiful French restaurant built for celebrations, like the old-line Creole classics, but with a younger voice and modern style. Now though, Justine is set to close.
Justine (225 Chartres St.) will serve its last meal on May 25, confirmed Mia Devillier, who runs the restaurant with her husband, the chef Justin Devillier.
Justine is a French brasserie for the French Quarter mixing classic and contemporary across its rooms and menu. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
“This restaurant was our love letter to Paris, told from New Orleans,” she said. “Unfortunately all good stories come to an end, this one just came too soon.”
“We’re really grateful for our team and patrons and for being with us on the journey,” she said.
Assessing summer
Justine opened in 2019, a year before the pandemic forced major changes across the hospitality sector that still reverberate in higher costs and altered dining habits.
Beef short rib and frites is served at the French brasserie Justine in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The timing of the closure is not coincidental. The impending summer is often the spur for restaurants to determine if they can make it through the typical slump again. Sometimes, as with the recent case of MoPho and Maypop, the answer is no, and restaurants close for good.
The kitchen at Justine is trimmed in pink tile, topped with a vintage marquee and visible from one of the brasserie’s dining areas. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
“Every year you look at summer, you try to learn from it, ask yourself how we can prepare better, it’s the biggest challenge we face, like every other restaurant,” Devillier said. “It’s daunting, it’s just the reality of running a restaurant in New Orleans.”
The Devilliers, a husband-and-wife team, also run La Petite Grocery (4238 Magazine St.), a longtime fixture of Uptown fine dining. That restaurant continues unchanged by the Justine news.
A modern brasserie
Justine opened three years after Devillier had won the James Beard award for Best Chef: South. He had earlier competed on the Bravo show “Top Chef.”
Classic lines and contemporary style mix it up at Justine, a French brasserie in the French Quarter. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The 200-seat restaurant has a zinc bar and is fitted out in marble and brass and plush banquette seating across rooms with the contours of a classic French brasserie. At the same time, neon fixtures, contemporary murals mapping New Orleans and Paris (by local artist Ellen Macomber), and a list of programming that included DJs, burlesque dancers and drag brunches gave it a modern pose.
Justine is a French brasserie for the French Quarter mixing classic and contemporary across its rooms and menu. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Octopus is served with citrus and fresh herbs at Justine, a French brasserie for the French Quarter. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Justine initially focused on French-style steaks, including a kingly cote du boeuf, and brought dishes like seafood towers, raclette cheese service, mussels and lobster tartine. The menu later took a more casual direction, adding fried chicken sandwiches, fish and chips and shrimp and grits to its French standards.
The plateau des fruits de mer is presented with oysters, shellfish and shrimp at Justine, located at 225 Chartres St. in New Orleans. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
(Photo by David Grunfeld NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The restaurant opened with a DJ booth built in by the bar, and customers have brought their own flair, particularly around holiday functions. The Friday before Mardi Gras, the restaurant traditionally hosted a ticketed daytime party that always sold out.